Marie van Goethem
Encyclopedia
Marie Genevieve van Goethem (or Goetham; 7 June 1865 – ?) was a French
ballerina
of Belgian
descent, and the model
for Edgar Degas
' statue "Little Dancer of Fourteen Years
".
, was born in the poor 9e arrondissement
of Paris
, one of three sisters. The mother and her daughters moved to a stone apartment building at 'Rue Notre-Dame de Lorette' called 'Place Breda' near Degas' studio at 'Rue Saint-Georges'. Marie and her sisters became students at the Paris Opera Ballet
school and later performed in roles of extras with the company. The young dancers were called 'Petits Rats'.
Degas frequented the ballet performances at the Paris Opera House and used Marie as a model. By posing for artists Marie and her sisters probably earned up to 6 or 10 francs per sitting.
was shown in Paris at the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition of 1881, it received mixed reviews. The majority of critics were shocked by the piece. They thought it was ugly, that it looked like a medical specimen, in part because Degas exhibited it inside a glass case. Some considered the head and face grotesque and primitive.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
ballerina
Ballerina
A ballerina is a title used to describe a principal female professional ballet dancer in a large company; the male equivalent to this title is danseur or ballerino...
of Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
descent, and the model
Model (art)
Art models are models who pose for photographers, painters, sculptors, and other artists as part of their work of art. Art models who pose in the nude for life drawing are usually called life models...
for Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas[p] , born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, was a French artist famous for his work in painting, sculpture, printmaking and drawing. He is regarded as one of the founders of Impressionism although he rejected the term, and preferred to be called a realist...
' statue "Little Dancer of Fourteen Years
La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans
"Little Dancer of Fourteen Years" is a c. 1881 sculpture by Edgar Degas of a young dance student named Marie van Goethem. The sculpture was originally made in wax before it was cast in 1922 in bronze...
".
Marie and Degas
Marie, the daughter of a Belgian laundress and tailorTailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
, was born in the poor 9e arrondissement
IXe arrondissement
The 9th arrondissement , located on the Right Bank, is one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, France. It contains many places of cultural, historical, and architectural interest, including the Palais Garnier, home to the Paris Opera, Boulevard Haussmann and its large department stores of Galeries...
of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, one of three sisters. The mother and her daughters moved to a stone apartment building at 'Rue Notre-Dame de Lorette' called 'Place Breda' near Degas' studio at 'Rue Saint-Georges'. Marie and her sisters became students at the Paris Opera Ballet
Paris Opera Ballet
The Paris Opera Ballet is the oldest national ballet company in the world, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it...
school and later performed in roles of extras with the company. The young dancers were called 'Petits Rats'.
Degas frequented the ballet performances at the Paris Opera House and used Marie as a model. By posing for artists Marie and her sisters probably earned up to 6 or 10 francs per sitting.
Sixth Impressionist Exhibition of 1881
When the La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze AnsLa Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans
"Little Dancer of Fourteen Years" is a c. 1881 sculpture by Edgar Degas of a young dance student named Marie van Goethem. The sculpture was originally made in wax before it was cast in 1922 in bronze...
was shown in Paris at the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition of 1881, it received mixed reviews. The majority of critics were shocked by the piece. They thought it was ugly, that it looked like a medical specimen, in part because Degas exhibited it inside a glass case. Some considered the head and face grotesque and primitive.
Subsequent life
Marie's dance career ended at the age of seventeen, a result of missing many dance classes. No record of Marie's subsequent life or death has been found.External links
- "Little Dancer of Fourteen Years" sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
. - "Degas' dancers have stories to tell" by Mary Louise Schumacher, Milwaukee Journal SentinelMilwaukee Journal SentinelThe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
- "The world of the little dancer" by Richard Kendall, Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
. - "Degas and His Dancers" by Paul Trachtman in Smithsonian Magazine.
- "Degas's Little Dancer Takes to the Paris Stage" at bee.com.
- Degas and the Dancers a GoogleVideo.